International skating competition in Marlborough this week

Tuesday

Jul 29, 2014 at 5:53 PMJul 29, 2014 at 5:53 PM

By Kendall HatchDaily News Staff

MARLBOROUGH - Skaters from around the world are descending on Marlborough this week for the Ice Skating Instituteís World Recreational Team Championships.The event, hosted at the New England Sports Center this week, has drawn about 1,400 skaters to the city, said Peter Martell, director of the Texas-based Ice Skating Institute. The World Recreational Team Championships have been held each year since 1981, and this year marks the fourth time the tournament has been held in Marlborough."It is, to our knowledge, the largest figure skating tournament in the world, in terms of numbers," Martell said in an interview Monday. Martell said that the skaters are coming to Marlborough from about 100 different rinks in the United States, China, the Philippines and Qatar.The ISI is a trade organization for arena owners and managers, and Martell said the main focus of the organization is to build interest in skating.As such, the event is open to skaters of various ages and abilities. The youngest skater might be 3, and there might be skaters competing as old as 80, Martell said."Our objective is to grow interest in skating at a grassroots level," Martell said.The tournament started Monday morning and runs until Saturday afternoon. Events throughout the week are free and open to the public, said Martell.Aside from the competition, there will also be skater clinics led by Skating Club of Boston Director Peter Johansson, a book signing by former figure skater and analyst Dick Button and a benefit show Friday night featuring elite skaters. The benefit show will raise money for ISIís Education Foundation, Martell said.Wes Tuttle, general manager of the New England Sports Center, said he is excited that the venue can once again host the event, which he called an economic boon for the city."At the end of the day, itís exciting for the city to be able to host a worldwide event," Tuttle said.Each of the 1,400 competitors, many of whom were joined by family members and supporters, will be staying, eating and shopping in Marlborough during their time here, Tuttle said."Thatís a lot of hotel rooms. Itís a lot of breakfasts, lunches and dinners," he said. "Itís got great economic value."For more information, visit www.skateisi.com.Kendall Hatch can be reached at 508-490-7453 or khatch@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kendall_HatchMW.